Alex & Neal: Present & Past
by kenziecaffrey
Summary: Alex & Neal take a stroll down memory lane. One-shot.


_**Author's note: **__One shot story about Alex & Neal's relationship. Some parts are set pre-series & some are set in the present. This is in my perspective of Alex & Neal's relationship & what it was like before the show._

_**Warnings: **__Spoilers for first season & second season. Language. _

_**Present - Neal**_

Neal Caffrey sat on his bed, thinking about today's events. Alex was leaving for Italy and she had kissed him. It was unexpected to him, but he shouldn't have been surprised. He knew that she had feelings for him, ever since the incident with Kate. He thought back to that day.

_**Present – Alex**_

Alex was on the plane, thinking about today. She had kissed Neal and he had kissed her back. It had been years since she had kissed him. It had been years since she was head over heels for him, but she couldn't help falling back under his spell.

_**A few years back…**_

Alex knocked on the door with flowers in her hand. She smiled when Neal opened the door. "Hey, there." She said and kissed his cheek. She handed him the flowers and let herself in.

"Hi Alex." He said, shortly. He wasn't smiling at her like he always did. He sighed and then Alex knew something was up with him.

She looked at him and frowned. "What's wrong, Neal?" She asked. She grabbed his hand and held it. She knew things between them had been rockety and they hadn't gotten to see each other in a while since he had been planning this con with another girl named Kate Moreau. He had been so busy that he had barely had time to talk to her on the phone. She hadn't spent a whole hour with him in a few weeks.

"Well, you know that girl Kate I've been hanging out with? We're planning the con together, remember?" He asked her. She nodded at him.

Neal rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "She asked me out today, even though she knew that we are going out." He said. He felt his stomach churning. He didn't really want to tell her the answer he gave her.

Alex frowned and nodded. "And you said no, right?" She asked. She let go of his hand and stepped back. She didn't want to believe what he was going to say next, and her heart shattered into a billion pieces.

"I didn't say no, Alex." He said, blankly. His eyes went dull. He felt horrible for what he had done.

"Why?"

Neal shrugged. "I've just been spending more time with her than I have been spending time with you. She's been lonely, so I just said yes. It's just a simple little dinner; you don't need to make a big fuss about it." He smiled.

Alex shook her head. "I knew it. I knew you were just using me to get that stupid music box. I knew that you were just going to play around with my heart so that you could get what you wanted. Well, now you get what you want. You can go out with Kate. I still want to get the music box, but…" She stopped and hesitated.

Neal nodded. "But we need to stop seeing each other." He finished her sentence for her. "Alex, you don't have to be this way... We can still go out. It's just a dinner, Alex." He said and reached for her hand again.

Alex shook her head. "Call me when you want to talk about the music box." She said and walked out the door, her heart broken.

_**One year later…**_

Alex looked at her watch. It was 12:47. Neal was supposed to be here. It would be her first time seeing him in almost a year. They had talked off and on every once in a while, but she hadn't seen him face to face in a year. She saw him walking toward her, a smile on his face, but then she looked behind him. There was a girl behind him. She had icy blue eyes and brown hair. She was gorgeous. She felt a lump in her throat as memories swarmed over her. _Kate._

Neal smiled at her. "Hey, Alex. Long time, no see." He said and Kate grabbed his hand. She looked at her, oddly. "Who is this?" She asked. "I thought we were going out to lunch, Neal." She said.

"We will after I talk to her. This is Alex Hunter. Alex, this is Kat-." Neal started but Alex interrupted him.

"Moreau. Yeah, I've heard about her." She said and looked at Neal, her eyes getting sad again. He smiled at her, sadly.

"Yes, this is Kate Moreau." He said. The two women shook hands and pasted fake smiles on there faces.

Alex looked back at Neal. "Okay, so we are here to talk about the music box?" She asked Neal.

Neal nodded and smiled at her. ""Yes, let's talk about the music box. After a year, we are finally making this happen." He said and grinned, showing all of his teeth.

Kate butted in to their conversation. "Neal, I feel like I'm going to be sick." She said and held onto her stomach. He looked at her, worry filled in his eyes. He put a hand to her forehead. "Oh, well you don't feel like you have a fever." He said and pulled her into his arms.

She shook. "I'm going to puke, I think." She said. Neal got alarmed and looked at Alex. "I'll call you later tonight. I need to get her home." He waved and quickly got Kate out of there.

Alex watched as they walked off and when Neal went inside a tea shop to get some ice water for Kate. Kate looked at Alex and smiled. She waved at her as Neal came out and they left.

_**Five years later…**_

Alex was sitting on Neal's couch. They were planning to steal the music box together in the Italian Consulate. Neal was sculpting so he could make a generous donation to get in through the gates. She had a date with a duke. Mozzie was going to be a waiter.

"You know, if you can't get out of your leash, none of this is going to matter." She said to him.

He smiled at her, reassuringly. "It'll happen. Can I get you a drink?" He asked her. She smiled slightly at him and nodded.

"You know, the last time we were this close was Copenhagen. I still have the scar from the jump off of the gatehouse." She said, pointing at her scar.

Neal was watching her one minute, and then the next minute, he looked away. "Healed nicely." He said, quietly.

Alex frowned at him. "You never visited me in the hospital." She said simply. It was true because he never did. She didn't hear from him again after that. She really wondered if their friendship was gone after that.

"You never visited me in prison." He said and looked at the wall, avoiding her gaze.

"You burned that bridge. You cut me out."

"You cut me out to-."

"We cut each other out. It's who we-."

"Are." He finished for her.

"I know this is about Kate. I know that once you get the music box, you are going to go-."

"Alex, look."

"Don't do this to me, Neal. It's embarrassing enough for-."

"No, this light has never been off before." He pointed at his tracking anklet.

"The agent came through?"

"I think we're in play." He smiled at her and she smiled back at him.

Alex really did truly believe this was all about Kate, but she wouldn't worry about that now.

_**One month later…**_

It had been a month since Alex had given Neal the music box. She had taken off with it at the Italian Consulate and then came back a day later to return it to him. She had high hopes that if she gave the music box back to him, he would have more respect for her. She didn't think she was right.

Her cell phone rang and she saw the caller ID. _Mozzie. _She picked up and smiled. "Hey, Mozzie." She said. "How have yo-?" He cut her off.

"Kate is dead." He said simply.

She couldn't believe it. How did this happen? When did this happen? Why hadn't Neal told her? The one thing running through her mind is how Neal was. "When did she die?" she asked, shock in her voice.

Mozzie sighed. "About a month ago. Neal is back in prison. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I've been trying to keep myself busy on finding ways to get Neal out of prison. He doesn't want to come out. He keeps on telling himself that it is his fault that she is dead." He said.

Alex frowned. She didn't want Neal to suffer, but she wanted to see him. She wanted to tell him that everything would be alright and he would get out of there soon. She wanted to tell him that she _was there for him_ if he needed her. "How did it happen?" She asked Mozzie quietly. She sat down.

"He was about to board a plane that Kate was on when the Suit came and they talked for a minute. The Suit was trying to tell him that he was making a big mistake by leaving. Neal wouldn't tell me much from that day. The jet exploded just as Neal was about to board it. Kate was still on the jet. Alex, he is so broken up about it. The Suit is trying everything he can to get Neal out of jail. Maybe you should go talk to him. He won't talk to me. He won't talk to his landlady, June. He won't talk to Mr. or Mrs. Suit. He might talk to you. You guys have a history together. Not as long as Neal and I's history, but you guys had something really special. At least try." He said.

Alex agreed, reluctantly. Mozzie gave her the location of the prison he was in, and they hung up. Alex's stomach started hurting. She didn't want to see Neal all torn about Kate's death. That was the least thing she wanted to see. She sighed, got in her car, and went to the Super-Max prison.

When she arrived, she requested to visit Neal Caffrey. They agreed and she walked into the visitation room with the glass walls and the phone on the chord. She picked it up and then saw a young man in orange appear. He was sitting in front of her through the glass walls. He picked up the phone and spoke into it. "I didn't think I'd see you here, Alex."

Alex barely recognized him. His hair was messy and greasy. He was so much thinner. His eyes were so gray instead of the usual, gorgeous blue. She shrugged at him. "Mozzie called me. I heard what happened. Sorry." She said, simply.

Neal shook his head. "No, you aren't sorry." He said. He looked at her straight in the eye.

She frowned at him. "I may not have liked Kate, but I wouldn't want her to die. I hate seeing you like this. You are so thin." She said. He always was a thin man, but now he looked like he didn't even eat.

"Your concern means a lot. I can assure you though, I am eating. Orange is a color that naturally makes you look thinner." He said to her and smiled slightly.

Alex looked at his smile. It was so fake. "Whatever you say, Neal. I can assure you though that you will get out of here though." She said to him and smiled slightly.

Neal laughed. "Everyone has been telling me that and I am so fucking sick of hearing that. _Oh, don't worry Neal. You will get out of here soon! You don't have to worry. Peter is doing everything he can. _They don't get it though. I don't want to leave. I want to stay here. I don't feel like getting guns pointed at me and looking at case files every day." He said anger obvious in his voice.

"You have no idea what you are saying." She said and hung up the phone. She got up and turned around to leave, but then stopped. She went back and picked up the phone. "I don't think you get how much people care about. Mozzie is so bland now. He's not as peppy and humorous as he was before. Peter and the bureau are doing everything in their damn power to get you out. June has your room the same as it was when you left. She's waiting till you get back so that you can move back in. I care about you, Neal. I'm not about to sit here and watch you do this to yourself. I _am _sorry that Kate died. I hate seeing you this way. If you don't think I give a crap about you, then you a wrong because I care about you more than you will _ever _know." She slammed the phone back on the chord, looked at him once more to see the shock mixed all over his face, and then she left.

_**The same night…**_

Neal was lying in his cot in his cell. He couldn't stop thinking about what Alex had said to him over the chorded phone. _I care about you more than you will ever know._

He felt guilt welled up all inside of him. He had burned Alex for Kate. He knew he had probably left her a mess when he ditched her for Kate. He sighed. He knew he was being difficult, but he felt like he couldn't function without Kate.

He looked to the right where a drawing was. He scratched his head and sighed. He looked at his jumpsuit. He didn't want to be trapped in this cell his whole life. He definitely didn't want to wear orange for the rest of his life. The explosion replayed in his mind over and over again. He closed his eyes and Kate was still sitting on that plane.

He frowned and closed his eyes to fall asleep. He tried to get Kate and Alex's words out of his mind. He fell asleep, but couldn't stop the nightmares. He went through another night screaming.

_**One month later…**_

He walked into his apartment to see the familiar face of Alex Hunter sitting at his table talking to Mozzie. They were whispering about something. She looked up and saw him. "Hey. I was just leaving." She said and got her purse and left quickly.

Neal looked over at Mozzie. "Why did she come to you for help instead of me? No offense." He said to Mozzie.

Mozzie looked at Neal. "Well, I think she came to me because she doesn't want to see you all torn about Kate."

Neal nodded and thought back to the day that she came to his prison cell.

_**Three days later…**_

"Kate's gone. But I'm not." She shrugged and gave a sly smile to him. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped, and then leaned in to kiss him. She closed her eyes and was shocked when he leaned in to return it. She pulled back after two seconds, smiled, and got in the taxi cab.

"Goodbye, Alex." Neal said to her.

Alex smiled. "See you around, Caffrey." She said and shut the door. The taxi cab took off with Neal still standing there, a smile on his face.

_**Author's note: **__I hope it wasn't too confusing. If it was, here is an explanation; Alex and Neal were thinking back to the past while they were in the present (Copycat Caffrey). Hope you enjoyed! Reviews mean a lot! (I'm Team Neal & Alex if you couldn't tell)._


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